Inequalities in Self-Assessments of Mental and Physical Wellbeing Among Workers in the Tech Industry

Although the technology (tech) industry has historically had a reputation for being supportive when it comes to wellbeing initiatives, research has found persistent disparities among the tech industry workforce. Therefore, using an original survey of tech workers worldwide (n = 1207), this paper exp...

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Main Authors: Cristen Dalessandro, Alexander Lovell
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Social Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/6/363
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author Cristen Dalessandro
Alexander Lovell
author_facet Cristen Dalessandro
Alexander Lovell
author_sort Cristen Dalessandro
collection DOAJ
description Although the technology (tech) industry has historically had a reputation for being supportive when it comes to wellbeing initiatives, research has found persistent disparities among the tech industry workforce. Therefore, using an original survey of tech workers worldwide (n = 1207), this paper explores whether gender and identification with racial “minority” status have an impact on self-reported levels of mental and physical wellbeing measures. Controlling for additional demographic variables, our regression model found that workers identifying as racial minorities at work (OR: 2.49; 95%CI 1.80–3.43) were significantly more likely to report lower mental wellbeing scores. Additional analyses found that compared to men who did not identify as a racial minority, minority-identified women (OR: 3.48; 95%CI 2.10–5.76) and men (OR: 2.10; 95% CI 1.40–3.15) were significantly more likely to report worse mental wellbeing, and minority-identified men were significantly more likely to report that work had a negative impact on their physical health as well (OR: 1.78; 95%CI 1.18–2.68). Due to the international scope of our project, our research suggests that demographic disparities in physical and mental wellbeing among tech workers is an ongoing problem on a global scale.
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spelling doaj-art-4acc8cdbaaa14ee5bb22546ed42bb85b2025-08-20T03:29:43ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602025-06-0114636310.3390/socsci14060363Inequalities in Self-Assessments of Mental and Physical Wellbeing Among Workers in the Tech IndustryCristen Dalessandro0Alexander Lovell1O.C. Tanner Institute, 1930 S State St, Salt Lake City, UT 84115, USAO.C. Tanner Institute, 1930 S State St, Salt Lake City, UT 84115, USAAlthough the technology (tech) industry has historically had a reputation for being supportive when it comes to wellbeing initiatives, research has found persistent disparities among the tech industry workforce. Therefore, using an original survey of tech workers worldwide (n = 1207), this paper explores whether gender and identification with racial “minority” status have an impact on self-reported levels of mental and physical wellbeing measures. Controlling for additional demographic variables, our regression model found that workers identifying as racial minorities at work (OR: 2.49; 95%CI 1.80–3.43) were significantly more likely to report lower mental wellbeing scores. Additional analyses found that compared to men who did not identify as a racial minority, minority-identified women (OR: 3.48; 95%CI 2.10–5.76) and men (OR: 2.10; 95% CI 1.40–3.15) were significantly more likely to report worse mental wellbeing, and minority-identified men were significantly more likely to report that work had a negative impact on their physical health as well (OR: 1.78; 95%CI 1.18–2.68). Due to the international scope of our project, our research suggests that demographic disparities in physical and mental wellbeing among tech workers is an ongoing problem on a global scale.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/6/363tech industryracegenderwellbeingwork
spellingShingle Cristen Dalessandro
Alexander Lovell
Inequalities in Self-Assessments of Mental and Physical Wellbeing Among Workers in the Tech Industry
Social Sciences
tech industry
race
gender
wellbeing
work
title Inequalities in Self-Assessments of Mental and Physical Wellbeing Among Workers in the Tech Industry
title_full Inequalities in Self-Assessments of Mental and Physical Wellbeing Among Workers in the Tech Industry
title_fullStr Inequalities in Self-Assessments of Mental and Physical Wellbeing Among Workers in the Tech Industry
title_full_unstemmed Inequalities in Self-Assessments of Mental and Physical Wellbeing Among Workers in the Tech Industry
title_short Inequalities in Self-Assessments of Mental and Physical Wellbeing Among Workers in the Tech Industry
title_sort inequalities in self assessments of mental and physical wellbeing among workers in the tech industry
topic tech industry
race
gender
wellbeing
work
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/6/363
work_keys_str_mv AT cristendalessandro inequalitiesinselfassessmentsofmentalandphysicalwellbeingamongworkersinthetechindustry
AT alexanderlovell inequalitiesinselfassessmentsofmentalandphysicalwellbeingamongworkersinthetechindustry